One Last Shot
Boy tries to heal his family in intense mini-golf tale.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that One Last Shot, by John David Anderson, is the story of a smart, geeky 12-year-old trying to navigate the treacherous world of his quarreling parents, for whom nothing he does seems to be good enough. He finds unexpected transformation, life lessons, and friendship in the sport of miniature golf. Narrator Malcolm's constant terror of setting off another argument that finally takes his family to the point of no return, as well as his parents' toxic button-pushing, sniping, and dirty looks, are so convincing, they may be too intense and wearing for more sensitive readers. There's a bit of crude humor along with the suggestion that it's pretty juvenile (the 12-year-old narrator gets the giggles over a discussion of balls and shafts; his coach waits for him to get over it). And there are appealing characters who aren't at each other's throats and offer Malcolm friendship, support, and wisdom. As elsewhere in Anderson's work, the road is rocky, the experiences oddly relatable, and the resolution satisfying.
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What's the Story?
Twelve-year-old Malcolm figures he's got ONE LAST SHOT at keeping his family from his quarreling parents' best efforts to blow things up --and it involves winning a miniature golf tournament. Hole by hole, he takes on the course, his interior monologue switching from the intricate play-by-play challenges to recalling the things that got him there. His parents, constantly fighting over everything and nothing; his ex-jock father trying to relive his baseball glory days through Malcolm, who hates baseball; the unexpected discovery that he's actually good at miniature golf, and the arrival of his unpromising-looking coach, who dispenses wisdom and junk food in plentiful doses. Once again, nothing's exactly going to plan, as his dad (whose idea the whole thing was) hasn't shown up, his coach is in the hospital (heart attack caused by the junk food), and Jamie Tran, mini-golf king, is well on his way to winning this tournament just like he won all the others. Through it all, Malcolm struggles to keep his focus on the game and his eyes on the prize.
Is It Any Good?
A boy's life-changing discovery of miniature golf, and his hope that a tournament victory will make his parents finally appreciate him and stop fighting, brings humor, wisdom, and lots of golf lore. As Malcolm takes One Last Shot at salvaging his family, he garners support, wisdom, social skills, and life lessons from newfound friends. It's a rewarding, relatable read, but the constant anxiety brought on by having to navigate his parents' minefield may be too intense for some. As here, when Malcolm sees a faint, glimmering hope that his father will let him bail from Little League, but knows there's a catch. Many catches.
"'What about you?
"'What about me?' he asked back.
"'Would you... you know... would you be mad?'
"Dad seemed to think for a moment. 'No. Not mad.' His voice trailed off, leaving a big blank space for me to fill in.
"Sometimes conversations are full of blank spaces. Like Mad Libs. Somebody will say something and then pause, waiting for you to think what they were too frightened or embarrassed or polite to say. My parents ended a lot of their sentences this way when they talked to each other. They had whole conversations that seemed to be filled with unspoken words, little bits of quicksand for the other person to walk into.
"This blank was easy to fill. He wouldn't be mad, but he might not ever look at me the same way for a while."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about stories like One Last Shot, where the hero just has to win some contest, and all the things that will miraculously be fixed if that happens. Sports events, magic competitions, cooking contests, winning the princess, etc. Why do you think this has been such a popular theme over the centuries? What other examples have you encountered?
Have you ever played miniature golf? After reading this story, do you want to go give it another shot?
Do you have friends whose parents always seem to be fighting? How do they cope? Is there anything you can do to help?
Book Details
- Author: John David Anderson
- Genre: Family Life
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts, Friendship
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Walden Pond Press
- Publication date: May 5, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 336
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: August 15, 2021
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